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Kristal-Astro

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Kristal Astro
TypeDirect Broadcast Satellite
Country
Brunei
FoundedJanuary 24, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-01-24)
HeadquartersBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Broadcast area
Nationwide
OwnerAstro, DST Group
ParentAstro Malaysia Holdings Berhad
DissolvedMarch 31, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-31)
Official website
www.kristalastro.com (archive)

Kristal Astro (Jawi: كريستل استرو) was a sole operator of Brunei's multi-channel pay-TV service. It was officially launched on January 24, 2000.[1][2][3][4][5] The company is a joint-venture between Kristal Sdn. Bhd. and Malaysia's MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad.

All channels are customized to ensure that all programs adhere to Brunei's religious, cultural, and social values. Subscribers will also have access to pay-per-view services, as well as a wide range of interactive services, such as home banking, home shopping, and distance learning.

Subscribers receive the satellite service using the state-of-the-art Digital Multimedia System (DMS), the same system introduced by Astro in Malaysia.

The operations of Kristal Astro are backed by DST Group's expertise in the areas of marketing, sales, information technology, and technical support.

History

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Kristal

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The history of Kristal-Astro begins with the establishment of Kristal (Jawi: ‏کریستل تیۏي‎‎) which is a pay television network owned by DataStream Technology Sdn Bhd (DST Sdn Bhd) and the first television network in Brunei. Kristal was granted a license to provide radio and television broadcasting services on November 23, 1998 and began its services on January 2, 1999 with an offer of 14 television channels to customers nationwide.[6][7]

Before the introduction of Kristal, the people of Brunei watched television shows through the STAR TV network for free for several years. With the launch of Kristal, Bruneians were no longer be able to watch the channels for free and some television channels have had their broadcasts cut off, among them MTV, Channel V, Phoenix and Zee Cinema.[8] Kristal did not provide any explanation regarding the cutting of the channels involved, but the public believed that the action was due to pressure from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Brunei.[9]

At the beginning of 1999, the broadcasting of the MTV channel, which was popular among the youth of Brunei, was stopped. Following this incident, letters of complaint were sent to the Borneo Bulletin in January and February. The ministry and the Bruneian authorities expressed concern about the channel's inappropriate content. The Brunei government later agreed to allow the broadcasting of MTV while other shows were blocked.[10]

On February 1, the Brunei government declared ASTRO's channels from Malaysia reached through Kristal illegal because Astro was not granted a license to broadcast in Brunei. Hundreds of people currently subscribing to Astro are said to have broken the law and could be fined Br$40,000 or imprisoned for three years.[11]

However, on March 1, the Brunei government declared that ASTRO's broadcasts had been licensed and approved to broadcast in Brunei legally. Even so, the owner of the satellite dish must make a payment of Br$360 per year to the government in addition to the subscription fee of the broadcaster involved.[11]

Joint venture between Kristal and Astro

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Kristal-Astro is the result of a joint venture between KRISTAL Media and Astro Malaysia.[12] KRISTAL Media is a subsidiary of DataStream Technology Group (DST Group), which is a conglomerate of nine communication and broadcasting companies.[13][14] The DST Sdn Bhd holding of the DST Group was formed in April 1995. The joint venture between KRISTAL Sdn Bhd and MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd in Malaysia resulted in a combined company Kristal-Astro Sdn Bhd. As the result of this joint effort, the Kristal-Astro transmission service was officially launched on January 24, 2000.[15][16][17][18][19]

Astro-Kristal customers receive satellite services through the Digital Multimedia System (DMS) which is the same service received by Astro customers in Malaysia.[20] The television system used in Brunei is PAL.[21]

By 2005, Kristal-Astro offered more than 30 channels to customers.[22][23]

In 2008, Kristal-Astro launched a 3G network to enable DST to offer more channels, a total of 80 television and radio channels.[24]

Kristal-Astro launched high definition (HD) broadcasting in Brunei in June 2010 under the Astro B.yond brand. In line with the launch, Kristal-Astro released the Astro B.yond Personal Video Recorder (PVR) in early 2011.[16]

Kristal-Astro in collaboration with Rewind Networks has launched the HITS HD channel (720) in the Kristal-Astro HD package starting July 1, 2016. This channel broadcasts television programs with Malay subtitles with high definition pictures.[25]

Starting January 1, 2020, Phoenix channel CH 358 and Phoenix Info News (323) as well as Sky News HD channel (514) ceased broadcasting through Kristal-Astro. At the same time, Kristal Astro revamped the service packages provided which are Family, Sapphire, Ruby and Jade.[26]

Starting May 1, 2021, the Standard Edition (SD) Sport channel service which includes Astro SuperSport (831), Astro SuperSport 2 (832), Astro SuperSport 3 (833), Astro SuperSport 4 (834) and EuroSport (840) will be discontinued. Kristal Astro stated that this channel is only available in high definition quality (HD) through a subscription to the Santai HD or Santai Sport HD package. For this reason, customers who are still using the old Set-Top Box are advised to switch to an HD Set-Top Box to subscribe to high-definition channels.[27]

End of service

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Kristal Astro has announced that it is shutting down in Brunei after 22 years of operation. According to its official notice, Kristal Astro has ceased operations on March 31, 2022, at 11:59 pm. The statement mentions “considering the fast-changing technology trends causing huge shifts in consumer preferences towards digital media consumption, we have come to a fork in the road that calls for us to make this difficult decision. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Microsoft Word - ASEAN_Study.doc" (PDF). 14 January 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  2. ^ "KRISTAL Astro Sdn. Bhd". Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Kristal-Astro pact to launch DTH digital satellite TV in Brunei". KLiK. Business Times. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Kristal-Astro dilancar ke Brunei". KLiK. Berita Harian. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Astro spreads wings to Brunei in joint venture". KLiK. New Straits Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  6. ^ Banerjee, Indrajit; Logan, Stephen, eds. (2008). Asian Communication Handbook 2008 [Buku Panduan Perhubungan Asia Tahun 2008]. AMIC. p. 149. ISBN 9789814136105.
  7. ^ "Brunei lancar TV swasta pertama". Berita Minggu. 2 January 1999. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via KLiK.
  8. ^ The Unit 1999, p. 44.
  9. ^ The Unit 1999, p. 45.
  10. ^ Gunaratne, Shelton A (27 July 2000). Handbook of the Media in Asia [Buku Panduan Bahantara di Asia]. SAGE Publications. p. 235. ISBN 9780761994275.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ a b The Unit 1999, p. 48.
  12. ^ Jeffreys, Andrew, ed. (2011). The Report: Brunei Darussalam 2011. Oxford Business Group. p. 178. ISBN 9781907065521. OCLC 825040089.
  13. ^ "Making Connections in Brunei" [Perhubungan di Brunei]. IP Successes in the ASEAN Region [Kejayaan IP di Rantau Asia Tenggara]. WIPO. 8 August 2014. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2021. Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. 2021. p. 219.
  15. ^ "Microsoft Word - ASEAN_Study.doc" (PDF). Pertubuhan Harta Intelek Sedunia. pp. 43 & 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b "KRISTAL Astro Sdn. Bhd". Kesatuan Penyiaran Asia Pasifik. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Kristal-Astro pact to launch DTH digital satellite TV in Brunei" [Kristal-Astro bersepakat untuk melancarkan TV satelit digital DTH di Brunei]. Business Times. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via KLiK.
  18. ^ "Kristal-Astro dilancar ke Brunei". Berita Harian. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via KLiK.
  19. ^ "Astro spreads wings to Brunei in joint venture" [Astro lebarkan sayap ke Brunei melalui usahasama]. New Straits Times. 26 January 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via KLiK.
  20. ^ Che Mahzan Ahmad (2008). "Mass media in Brunei Darussalam" [Media Massa di Brunei Darussalam]. In Mohd. Yusof Hussain (ed.). Mass Media in Selected Muslim Countries [Media Massa di Beberapa Negara Islam Terpilih] (2 ed.). Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia. ISBN 9789833855384.
  21. ^ "Brunei Darussalam". eDiplomat. 2 December 2003. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  22. ^ Europa World Year Book 2005 [Buku Tahunan Dunia Eropah 2005]. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis Group. 21 July 2005. p. 932. ISBN 9781857433043.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  23. ^ The Europa World Year Book 2007 [Buku Tahunan Dunia Eropah 2007]. Vol. 1 (48 ed.). Routledge. 2007. p. 972. ISBN 9781857434125.
  24. ^ The Report: Brunei Darussalam 2010 [Laporan: Brunei Darussalam 2010]. Oxford Business Group. 2010. p. 130. ISBN 9781907065293.
  25. ^ "Rewind Networks' HITS enters into Brunei on Kristal Astro" [Saluran HITS daripada Rewind Networks memasuki pasaran Brunei melalui Kristal Astro]. HITS (Siaran akhbar). 15 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  26. ^ Syahmi Hassan (6 July 2020). "Kristal Astro rombak pakej langganan". Media Permata Online. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Kristal Astro hentikan saluran Astro SuperSport, EuroSport mulai esok". Media Permata Online. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  28. ^ Kristal Astro's Operation Closure [1], Kristal Astro.
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